1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel tank mounting assembly for a motor vehicle, and more particularly it pertains to an improved structure of such an assembly wherein the fuel tank is securely mounted in position underneath a floor panel of the motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has heretofore been proposed a fuel tank mounting assembly for a motor vehicle such as shown in FIG. 1, wherein a fuel tank 1 provided with a flange portion 2 extending laterally thereof is constituted by an upper tank half 1a and a lower tank half 1b which are joined together in a fluid-tight manner. The tank halves 1a and 1b are provided with flanges 2f and 2r, respectively, which are adapted, when the tank halves are joined together as mentioned above, to form the flange portion 2 of the fuel tank 1. Although not shown, the flanges 2f and 2r are formed with through-apertures for inserting screw bolts 6 therethrough. A pair of mount members 4f and 4r are fixedly attached to the lower face of a rear floor panel 3 of the motor vehicle body in such a manner as to extend widthwise thereof in substantially parallel spaced relationship to each other. The mount members 4f and 4r are adapted, when the fuel tank 1 is to be mounted in position, to be engaged by the flange portion 2 of the fuel tank 1. Further, the mount members 4f and 4r are formed with through-apertures (not shown) at positions aligned with the through-apertures of the flange portion 2 and have nuts welded or otherwise secured thereto in alignment with the through-apertures thereof.
In the mounting operation, the fuel tank 1 is held by a worker so that the flange portion 2 thereof is disposed in engagement with the mount members 4f and 4r and the through-apertures formed in the flange portion are positioned in alignment with the through-apertures formed in the mount members; and with the fuel tank 1 being thus held, the bolts 6 are subsequently threaded into the nuts 5, whereby the fuel tank 1 is fixedly mounted, in a suspended manner, onto the mount members 4f and 4r underneath the rear floor panel 3. Designated at 7 are patch members serving to distribute the concentration of stress which tends to occur in the flange portion 2 when the bolts 6 are tightened with respect to the nuts 5. Indicated at 8 is a fuel supply conduit leading to the fuel tank 1, and shown at 9 is a tube for supplying fuel to the engine of the motor vehicle.
With the foregoing conventional arrangement, however, great difficulties are encountered in an attempt to mount the fuel tank 1 in position, due to the fact that while tightening the bolts 6, the worker has to bear the entire weight of the fuel tank 1 which is rather bulky and heavy, since the latter remains mechanically unsupported until it is fixedly mounted by means of the bolts 6.